A less invasive approach to fighting lung cancer
For the half of the people who are diagnosed with lung cancer, it's already too late.
It is possible to preserve a larger part of the lungs of patients with early-stage lung cancer without compromising their prognosis, finds a new study in which a researcher from Quebec participated.
< p class="e-p">Innovative surgical approach reviewed by Dr. Massimo Conti and colleagues preserves up to four times more lung tissue volume than with traditional surgery resection of a lobe, show the work published by the New England Journal of Medicine (in English).
It has been shown that, under certain conditions, it is say find cancers in the initial phase, we can do more conservative surgeries, summarized Dr. Conti, who is a thoracic surgeon at the University Institute of Cardiology and Pneumology of Quebec and a researcher at the Center de recherche de l' x27;IUCPQ-Laval University. So this is good news for patients.
The most important thing with this procedure is identifying the right candidates, the surgeon said.
“There is a lot of talk today. x27;hui of personalized medicine with very sophisticated analyzes in mind, but we can say that surgery is also personalized. »
— Doctor Massimo Conti, IUCPQ-Laval University Research Center
The researchers recruited some 700 patients who presented with a tumor less than two centimeters in diameter in one lung, without metastasis to the lymph nodes. About half of them underwent a total resection of a lung lobe and the other half a partial resection. In the second case, surgery removes two to four times less volume of lung tissue.
Five years later, the two groups had identical rates of cancer recurrence (64% ) and cancer recurrence (30%).
Since advances in medical imaging and the implementation of screening programs now make it possible to detect lung tumors earlier, it was necessary to question the traditional surgical approach which consisted of removing a complete lobe, explained Dr. Conti, who is also an associate clinical professor at Laval University's Faculty of Medicine.
“The way we discover lung cancer today has evolved, so we don't have exactly the same diseases that we had ten, fifteen or twenty years ago. […] It is more common to have diseases earlier, especially with screening programs. »
— Doctor Massimo Conti, IUCPQ-Laval University Research Center
This less aggressive intervention will notably preserve greater lung capacity, and therefore potentially improve the patient's quality of life. However, it requires in-depth knowledge of anatomy, specific training, modern tools and fine operative techniques, said the specialist.
Not only is partial resection- it's less invasive, and not only does it preserve the lung, but it also leaves more room for re-surgery in the event of a recurrence, Dr. Conti said.
Sometimes patients have two or three lesions that need to be monitored, so it always makes it possible to have the best possible solution today for lung cancer, which is surgery, he said. -He specifies. And even if you have a second or third location, you keep the door open to surgery several times.
Another international study, this one conducted in Japan, was came to similar conclusions.
